After drawing the Lewis structure of BeH2, determine whether the molecule is polar or nonpolar.

• A. BeH2 has polar bonds and is therefore polar.
• B. BeH2 is a polar molecule.
• C. BeH2 is a nonpolar molecule.
• D. BeH2 is ionic and does not have polarity.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Draw the Lewis structure of BeH\_2. Beryllium (Be) is the central atom with two hydrogen (H) atoms bonded to it. Be has 2 valence electrons, and each H has 1 valence electron, so the total valence electrons are 4.
2. Step 2: Arrange the atoms so that Be is in the center with two single bonds to the two H atoms. This satisfies the octet rule for hydrogen (which only needs 2 electrons) but Be will have only 4 electrons around it, which is common for Be compounds.
3. Step 3: Determine the molecular geometry using VSEPR theory. With two bonding pairs and no lone pairs on Be, the molecule adopts a linear shape with a bond angle of 180°.
4. Step 4: Consider the polarity of the Be-H bonds. Although Be-H bonds are polar due to the difference in electronegativity, the linear geometry causes the bond dipoles to cancel each other out because they are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
5. Step 5: Conclude that because the bond dipoles cancel, the overall molecule has no net dipole moment, making BeH\_2 a nonpolar molecule despite having polar bonds.